Tesla also testing camouflaged Model S at Nürburgring ahead of refresh

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Honestly, I think we all hoped for more. Hopefully, there is still a chance, but the leaked pictures so far are pretty disappointing.

I'm too poor for a model S, but if I was a buyer I would want: - front bumper camera, interior lighting ( we know it's coming) - bigger battery: right now the model S has a 90/100 kWh battery, let's put in the CT battery, so a 120-125kwh, so that it also get's ahead of the lucid and a no-compromise 300 mile/500 km range. It would also help with towing on the model X - even faster on the plaid trim Aka I want the specs that Tesla unveiled for the plaid+ in 2021 - more colors, we really need a dark green ( like the Alfa Romeo one, there was also a model 3 wrap that looked stunning) - self presenting/soft closing doors - automatic frunk open/close - elettro-obscurable roof glass, like the taycan. Did I forgot something?

A steering wheel on the right would be nice.

I’m more looking for next gen architecture: 48V and steer by wire. In addition to potentially power share which is possible on cybertruck too.

Model S ia competing against Lucid and should have no minimum of 400 mile range. This should be the standard range for all EVs going forward.

Still trying to sell a 13 year old car.

True that. I also forgot the rear-weel steering. And 800v architecture.

I just said the samething, needs a whole new design not minor appearance tweets.

More what? The car is using old parts. You can see it has the pre refresh charge door.

I need a 400 mile battery once a year. Or I stop to charge. That’s a waste of resource.

Doesn’t help they cut out the RHD market.

It looks the same. But it’s all entirely new parts. Powertrain refreshed numerous times. It isn’t a 13 year old car.

You don't go to the nurburgring for cosmetic changes. There must be some drivetrain changes worth talking about.

The car still looks better than 95% of vehicles on the road. It’s been refreshed several times and is certainly not “the same car” as 13 years ago. It’s starting to sound like r/electricvehicles over here with the repeated rhetoric. The truth is that the MS doesn’t need much to refresh it this time around to make people want to purchase. Exterior is mostly fine, but it’s the interior that needs some work. Steer by wire and 800v architecture would also go over well with potential buyers like myself.

Agreed

They should refresh the exterior, design speaks

Definitely needs PowerShare!

The front bumper camera is visible in the front facing picture.

Have you heard what porsche does?

It still beats new cars in speed, efficiency and roadtripping

Personally I want people to know that I am driving the latest model if I have it. The truth is that this looks mostly the same will not encourage existing owners to upgrade.

The number of sales of S/X have dramatically declined since Tesla outdid themselves with the 3/Y, so I would like to see them make the S/X more of a halo car (roadster lol) since they’re likely only going to be building about 20,000 per year. For folks in this market, a $25-50k price difference isn’t going to matter very much.

They need to start making these in RHD! Starting tapping into that market.

Personally, I still love the car's design. When it was first revealed in 2008, it looked ahead of its time. Now, it still looks modern yet futuristic compared to the cars coming out today. I'd hate to see a significant exterior redesign for the sake of a redesign when it still looks fantastic.

Are you a fan of light bars? If they change anything it's gonna be that.

Agree, I think it’s fair to want some differentiation, but I’m only saying that I don’t think it needs to be dramatic. For example, new lights/style would be fine. IMO Tesla could better spend the bulk of their time and investment for the project on the interior and architectural/functional improvements.

Don't forget that EVERYONE considers themselves middle class no matter how wealthy they are. Very few people are truly immune to a $25-50k price difference and the people who are (>$50M net worth) are going to be buying Ferraris.

I see them giving the S & X their own unique style akin to what they did with the 3 & Y. S & X are still their flagship’s, they should represent what all Tesla can do, so utilizing the new voltage architecture, EtherBus, structural battery, etc. S especially could use the X’s auto doors. Steer by wire is hit or miss

Not all EV’s need this kind of range, and it’s very wasteful to put it in products that don’t need it. I do agree there should be an option for that range in the entire lineup though.

Lucid is not a profitable company despite its cars being more expensive, so you're comparing apples and oranges. That being said, Tesla absolutely needs to improve its range and charging performance, as it has remained pretty stagnant for years.

Prediction: removal of the smaller screen in front of the driver to match the 3, Y & Cybertruck. The best part is no part haha.

lol front lightbars suck

Interior lighting upgrade and 4WS and drive by wire steering with better ratios is on my list. I'm getting another S Plaid late this year and hope the updated one is available then.

They need to make their premium car more premium. It is currently way too similar to the 3. In addition, it needs more premium features and options like massage seats, adjustable roof etc.

One can dream

It reminds me of what the guy from Out of Spec said a while back during an EV race. Higher range is nice but isn’t such a drastic change in travel time as it looks on paper. Only the first leg gives you that 512 miles(Lucid Air), after that your limited to 80% capacity, which is an extra 81 miles compared to an S(410), that’s decent but isn’t saving you hours on a long road trip.

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I *really* hope there are some fundamental design changes that allow for a RHD model again.

My concern is what these cars operate like in winter when they’re 15 years old. It’s not just what they operate like when they hit the road but what they will be like over their lifespan. We don’t want to increase waste taking them off the road sooner and sadly battery swaps have not become as cheap as one might have hoped.

You put rear-wheel steering and steer-by-wire on the Model S and it'll be a monster in the best way. That's one of the Taycan's advantages.

And mostly succeeding. It's the most premium thing you can buy that combines tech and performance. Honestly, my Plaid is mostly a Robotaxi for my commute, then, periodically, I turn off FSD and drive it like it's a getaway vehicle. It's the closest thing to 'do it all' you can buy right now.

Especially because it will make sense of the joke

This is just my personal belief, but i honestly doubt most modern cars reach 15 years of age, not a critique of Tesla or electrical cars in general, but the world is moving so fast these days that even the difference between a 19 and a 23 model 3 is astronomical.

> This should be the standard range for all EVs going forward. Absolutely not. 100%, positively, definitively not.

I was about to ask about this; is the Nurburgring the premier *testing* track? The US doesnt have any stateside tracks that are comparable? I suppose it is less expensive to ship a car and schedule track time than to build your own track

Anyone else finding these refreshes getting boring now. The 3 and Y fair enough and they both look great, but just bring some new models out! A compact, a hatchback, anything!

This is small potatoes but I’d like to see a standardized door handle. Across the 3, S, and X there’s 3 different styles of handle. Hell Cybertruck doesn’t even have a visible handle

I still prefer the looks of 1990s Honda Civics and Accords to anything made in the last 2 decades.

True, I would just go with the model 3/y handle, less stuff that can brake but still no drag

The last drivetrain change was called palladium, and that's when plaid was announced. Time flies, but it was only January 2021, 4 years ago. That upgrade increased power from 754hp to 1020hp, essentially combining several iterations of upgrades into one big increase.

It's more that the ring is the benchmark

You don't need the nurburgring to test a car, it's a well known track brands test new models in and advertise the result to up one another in performance.

$delta! That makes a lot of sense. Sure you can build a track for $X amount or money but the heritage and universality behind Nurburgring takes decades.

Yeah I’m a fan of that handle style as well. S’ Self presenting and X’s button handle is cool and all but it’s just more failure modes and tbh I don’t think it changes the overall “experience”.

I think were learning from the CT that not having range is a huge deal breaker for people. The Model S is not in the same category as a Truck for towing, but I think its crazy that Tesla doesnt give 400-500 mile range options. Especially for the CT, but also for its flagship Model S and Model Y options.

I agree. That’s why I think it should be an option. Not having 400+ miles of range is the primary reason I never took my day-1 reservation for the cyber truck. I’m going to wait a few years. See if they can increase the range, work our kinks in reliability, and AI5 chip.

People buying a Model S or something more expensive don‘t care how the car performs in 5 years, never mind 15.

What features would people want the most in the upcoming refresh?

It needs replacing, the sales numbers show this very clearly. It's being outsold by all its competition. It's time for an all new model, no more refreshes.

I love the design too, but it's past it. Sales numbers back this up.

It’s a “luxury” product, excess capability is the name of the game. Plus road tripping more than 400+ miles is a regular occurrence for a good amount of people, I’d love faster charging and more range

Is real wheel steering that big of a deal on a sedan? I can see the importance on a truck.

Yes: - Model S get sold worldwide, and it would really help getting around in Europe and China. -rear wheel isn't helpful only for tight corner, but it stabilize the car during high speed corners and lane changes ( buy turning the same side of the front wheels) - it makes the car feel more nimble in general.

You can get a used S for a new 3 money, just a couple of years old.

In the USA, Not in Europe.

Be nice if they were able to engineer it to support RHD markets this time.

how about side view cameras with the video visible seamlessly in the rear view mirror (also camera view): only have to look at one place to have a comprehensive rear/side view.

Also just the sheer size. Nothing comes close on the variety of twists and turns, road quality, much likes 10+ miles of it. Especially useful if you are working for endurance, which EVs traditionally struggle with. It's also a toll road, so it's cheap to test and cheap to take your own car.

Finally releasing the Plaid+ ?

It’s beautiful. Very Porscheske.

Are you referring to the 911, which has had a complete redesign 6 times over the years?

Sales numbers have disappeared, so not many agree with you.

That's why they're no longer selling in any reasonable numbers.

I know they're not going to ever again. But I'd love an option for a retractable sunroof like the old MS used to have. Still got the big double glass roof look/feel with the retractable option was so nice.

Which competition is really outselling it? Lucid isn't and I don't think the Taycan is.

If Tesla really wanted to flex on the competition, they should have an X set the EV lap record there.

It's also more complication, and depending on tuning, can feel unnatural in handling. Also an additional failure point. What the platform sorely needs is 800v architecture though, because the competition is doing 200+ kw dcfc for most of the curve.

Guessing all we’re gonna get is powertrain upgrades, ambient lighting and better brakes

Same

Nobody noticed in the spy shots the absolutely larger brakes? I'm the most excited about that!

Will be interesting to see what comes out of this. Hopefully steer by wire is left out of this testing (and testing on a famous track would hopefully be an indication of this). More power would always be a benefit and also no axle grind. Time will tell.

Yes, universality and heritage play major roles… but as the person you were replying to mentioned: “benchmark.” Every other automaker tests their premier makes a Nürburgring. Therefore, they can advertise “2026 [sport car] completed the Nürburgring in [time],” and car enthusiasts—who know the Nürburgring—can be impressed. You can’t get that from some American track with no history of famous cars’ times.

> Did I forgot something? We desperately need a MIG/MIC Model S & X. Now they are manufactured in the US and the build quality is subpar to MIG & MIC models.

It would help if Tesla wasn’t so secretive about the sales numbers, but apparently the Taycan is outselling it as is the BMW. A complete new model would help.

Time for 800V and some actually usable suspension would be nice.

Wont ever happen

Hopefully it comes stock! Not as part of the optional track pack again. A car that fast just needs the bigger brakes

https://www.notateslaapp.com/news/1854/model-s-and-x-to-get-updated-battery-or-drivetrain-updated-wheel-ambient-lighting-and-front-bumper-camera They're really just adding the following: Front bumper camera Ambient lighting A new yoke (likely just adding a physical horn button) Slightly updated seat design That's it. Nothing major—just a few tweaks that honestly feel overdue. Overall, this refresh is super disappointing..

they only need to increase range to like 500 miles because the range is dogshit rn

What do you mean by tool road? I've never heard this before!

Toll road, as in you pay a toll to drive on the road.

There's absolutely no way they'd be at Nurburgring to test ambient lighting and a front bumper cam. Something on the powertrain or brakes/suspension is being updated for Plaid. It's heckin' expensive to conduct Nurburgring testing and involves a ton of logistics & planning. So IMO, it's something far more substantial than the upgrades revealed on the base/LR cars.

The biggest threat to battery health is time and heat, capacity doesn’t matter for longevity. Frankly, a 15 year battery is a ticking time bomb, and that won’t change until we find a better way to make them.

Degradation follows a percentage based curve and eventually levels off based on our current experience. Higher initial capacity means higher later capacity after degradation. 80% of a bigger number is a bigger number.

Can these make it around the track without throttling yet?